A Match Made in Paradise
by peytona05
Summary: Sometimes love needs a gentle push, and when Mary Ann hurts her ankle, the Professor finds himself to be the recipient just such a nudge.
1. Chapter 1

It was mid-morning and the Professor was hard at work in his hut. That is, he was hard at work, trying to look busy. He sat at his bamboo-style desk with a textbook and notepad in front of him, and he was attempting to make some notes on a rare venomous spider. But he was having trouble focusing on the words he saw. The truth was, his mind was on a certain brunette that lived on the island.

He'd never been able to pinpoint exactly when his feelings for Mary Ann had begun. All he knew was that he'd awakened one morning with her on his mind, and she was still there. Not that he was complaining, mind you. He enjoyed every moment he spent with her, and he often wondered when he might catch a few minutes alone with her.

But no matter how much he cared for her, there was no getting around the awkwardness he felt in the presence of a female. There had been times he'd wanted to tell Mary Ann how he felt, but the moment he saw her, he would begin spouting off scientific facts instead.

The Professor's quiet reverie was broken by the sound of Gilligan yelling his name. He quickly exited his hut and was greeted by the sight of Mary Ann hopping alongside Gilligan, an arm wrapped around his waist for support.

_Oh god, what's Gilligan done now?_

"What on earth happened to you?" he asked.

"We went out to catch butterflies," Mary Ann began. "Silly me, I wasn't watching where I was going - "

"And she tripped over me," Gilligan interrupted. "See, my shoelaces had come undone, so I bent down to tie them, and—"

"And by the time I stopped rolling, I had done something to my ankle," Mary Ann finished. "Will you take a look at it, Professor?"

"Can you put any pressure on it?"

"Some, but it hurts."

The Professor nodded as he carefully lifted Mary Ann into his arms and carried her into his hut.

xXxXx

Mary Ann wrapped her arms around the Professor's neck and tried not to stare into his eyes. It was hard, though; they were such a beautiful blue, and she loved how expressive they could be. She thought maybe his eyes were his best feature.

Or it could be his smile. Whoever had come up with the phrase "it lights up the room" had clearly seen the Professor's grin. It was so contagious, and her heart would melt everytime she saw it.

It occurred to Mary Ann that she was glad Gilligan hadn't warned her before stooping to tie his shoe. It was true that she should have been watching, but the fact of the matter was, she hadn't been. So here she was, eye level with the one person that took her breath away.

The Professor placed her in the chair by his desk, then knelt down to examine her ankle. It was the first time she'd gotten a good look at it herself: a goose egg had already formed, and a bruise was beginning to surface.

_Is that really my ankle? Ouch…oh, I hope the Professor didn't see that face I just made. It wouldn't do to have him think I'm in a lot of pain._

"Mary Ann, I believe you've sprained your ankle. In order for it to heal properly, you'll have to stay off your feet as much as possible, and—"

"Oh, but what about fixing meals, Professor? That's my job, remember?"

"Well, consider this a vacation—doctor's orders. Ordinarily, I'd tell you to prop your leg up and keep ice on that ankle, but since we're not exactly surrounded by ice"—there was that smile—"I guess the next best thing is to soak it in the shallow end of the lagoon for a while."

"But the water's so cold this time of year," she complained.

"It won't be for long; don't worry," the Professor reassured her. "Ready? Up we go."

With that, Mary Ann once again found herself being scooped up in the Professor's arms.

xXxXx

The Professor knew that with proper care, Mary Ann's ankle would be as good as knew in a couple weeks. He also knew that no matter how much she complained, she's follow his instructions because that's the kind of girl she was. But there was no way he could make himself stop worrying about her. He hated that she'd gotten hurt, and wished there was something he could do to take the pain away.

_There is, Hinkley. Set her down at the edge of the lagoon, close enough that her ankle can soak in the water._

He shook his head in silent wonder over how such close proximity to Mary Ann affected his ability to think straight.

The Professor lowered her to the ground and knelt beside her already submerged foot.

"How does that feel?" he wanted to know.

Mary Ann shivered in response. "Cold. But I guess maybe my ankle feels a little better."

"Good. Now, you'll have to do this several times a day until the swelling goes down. And you've got to make sure you stay off of it."

"For how long?" she inquired.

"As much as possible for the next three or four, maybe five, days. After that, you'll probably be able to gradually resume your normal schedule. But check with me first."

xXxXx

_Absolutely. Anything you say._

Mary Ann had to keep herself from saying that out loud.

"Thanks for looking at my ankle, Professor. I really appreciate it."

She smiled at him, and he returned it.

"My pleasure. Ready to get your foot out of there?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

xXxXx

As the Professor lifted Mary Ann into his arms, she said, "It's interesting that with as warm as it stays here on the island, the water can get so cold."

The first thing that came to the Professor's mind was to offer her a blanket when they made it back to camp. But that's not what came out of his mouth. Instead he gave an explanation of the moon's stages and its effect on the ocean's tide and temperature.

_Really, Hinkley? You have the girl of your dreams in your arms, and all you can talk about is the effect a full moon has on water?_

More than anything, he wished he had the courage to comment on how beautiful her eyes were. However, he only asked where she wanted to be dropped off.

My hut, I guess," she replied. I'd like to rest on my bed for a while."

"Good idea. Is there anything I can get for you while I'm here?"

xXxXx

Mary Ann looked around the room as the Professor placed her on the bed.

"No, I don't think so. There's some knitting I've been meaning to get done, and I have everything I need right here."

"All right. I'll send Gilligan or the Skipper over a little later to take you back to the lagoon. Make sure you stay off your feet. If you need anything, holler. Somebody will come help you."

"Okay, Professor. Thanks."

xXxXx

His heart skipped a beat as Mary Ann offered him one of her sweet smiles.

"Anytime, Mary Ann."

With that, the Professor turned and started walking away.

_What's the matter with you? Are you really going to leave without so much as a simple goodbye? The least you can do is offer to check on her later._

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Mary Ann, I—"

She'd already picked up her knitting project, but she glanced up at him as she continued to work. "Yes, Professor?"

All of a sudden, his heart was in his throat. "Never mind."

As he made his way out of the hut, two words ran through his mind: _You coward._


	2. Chapter 2

Mary Ann watched the Professor leave, confused by the way he had just acted. He'd seemed almost…nervous. But the Professor was never nervous, so the thought was absolutely ridiculous.

Wasn't it?

Just then, Ginger entered the hut. "I just saw the Professor leave. What did he say about your ankle?"

_She's been talking to Gilligan._ "I sprained it. I'll be fine, it'll just take several days to heal. Ginger, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

Mary Ann bit her lip as she tried to decide where to start. "The Professor."

xXxXx

Ginger tried to hide her smile. This was a topic she and her roommate talked about regularly. Ginger knew that Mary Ann liked him, and she often encouraged her to tell him. But poor Mary Ann was afraid she would only humilate herself.

"What about it?"

"It was the strangest thing. He brought me back here after looking at my ankle, reminded me to stay off of it, and turned to leave. Then he looked back at me and started to say something, but he stopped and just left. It was so strange, not like him at all."

This time the redhead was unable to conceal her smile. "You have no idea, do you?"

"About what?" Mary Ann asked.

Ginger sighed. "You really don't know. "The way he looks at you when he thinks no one is paying attention, how he always asks you first to dance when we're having a party…Mary Ann, he's in love with you."

xXxXx

Mary Ann could tell she was blushing, and she dropped her knitting project in her lap. As she reached her hands up to her cheeks, she whispered, "What?"

Ginger nodded solemnly. "If only you could've seen the look on his face as he walked out of here. He was lovestruck, like a ten-year-old little boy with his first crush."

Mary Ann's heart was pounding as she said, "Ginger, if you're teasing me…"

Her roommate shook her head. "Oh no, I would never do that, especially about the Professor."

She didn't know what to say, and was quiet for a few moments. Finally, she asked, "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Ginger responded. "I got that look all the time in Hollywood, so I know it when I see it."

"Oh Ginger, I wish I was more like you. Then I wouldn't be so afraid to tell the Professor that I like him too."

xXxXx

_It's a good thing you're not like me. The world's not ready for two Ginger Grants._

"Let me ask you something. Knowing that he has feelings for you too, would you tell him if there was a Mary Ann way of doing it?"

The brunette shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, Ginger. What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know yet. Let me have a little time to think about it, okay?"

xXxXx

The Professor poked his head through the open door of the hut. "Skipper, are you alone?"

The Skipper looked up from the knots he'd been working on. "Yeah, Gilligan's out finishing his butterfly hunt alone. Professor, is something wrong?"

"Skipper, I'm afraid I've just made a fool of myself with Mary Ann. She sprained her ankle this morning, and instead of asking how I could make her more comfortable, I gave her a few simple instructions and went on my way. I wasn't even able to tell her I'd look in on her later, because my heart was beating so hard."

The Skipper looked at his friend in momentary silence. They talked about Mary Ann from time to time, and he knew it was hard for the Professor act casual around her.

"Have you considered just coming out and telling her how you feel, Professor?"

"Everytime I see her. But then I open my mouth and out comes something scientific. Today, for instance, all I could talk about was the moon's effect on the ocean. That's not the most scientific topic, now is it?"

The Skipper started to agree, but the Professor kept talking.

"You know, Skipper, sometimes I look at Gilligan and part of me wishes I could be more like him."

He couldn't help but shoot the Professor a double take. "Professor, bite your tongue. The world's not ready for two Gilligans."

"I know what you're thinking, and that's not what I mean. But Gilligan is never afraid to show his feelings, and where Mary Ann is concerned, that's simply not possible for me."

The Skipper wasn't quite sure what to say. He could remember girls he'd liked when he was younger, girls that often had the same effect on him as Mary Ann had on the Professor. He also remembered the rejection he received from some of those girls. While Mary Ann would never be rude, the Professor would be crushed if he got turned down for a date.

_Of course, he's so shy, he'll probably never ask her. So he won't have to worry about it._

"Professor, I wish I knew what to tell you. Mary Ann's a sweet girl, and I can see why you like her. I can also understand why you might be hesitant about telling her. I wish I could think of a way for you to do that without losing your dignity."

xXxXx

The Professor smiled. "Thanks Skipper, but it's not your problem to worry about; it's mine. You've helped me just by listening."

"Anytime, Professor. Glad to do it."

His ears perked at the word "do". _That may be the solution. Instead of saying how I feel, perhaps I can do something to show it._

"That's it, Skipper. You've just given me an idea."

He rushed out of the hut, barely acknowledging Gilligan, who was on his way in.

xXxXx

Gilligan stared after the Professor for a moment before he looked at the Skipper. "Where's he going in such a hurry?"  
"I don't know. I have no idea what I said to make him rush off."

He looked back in the direction the Professor went. The Professor never hurried unless something bad was about to happen.

_Or unless I've caused some sort of disaster. Have I done that today? No, I don't think so. Except for making Mary Ann trip and fall this morning. That wasn't so good. Oh no, maybe Mary Ann's worse than I thought. Maybe she broke her foot, maybe she's gonna die._

"I didn't mean it, Skipper."

xXxXx

The Skipper looked at his little buddy. "Didn't mean what, Gilligan?"

"Whatever I did to Mary Ann this morning. It was an accident."

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"The Professor hurries like that when I've done something wrong, and this morning I made Mary Ann trip. But it was an accident, Skipper; I promise."

"Gilligan, will you relax? Mary Ann's fine; she only has a sprained ankle."

"Oh well, that's good. I mean, it's not good that she sprained it; that's bad. What I meant was—"

"I know what you meant, Gilligan. I'm glad it wasn't any worse too."

"I'll bet she could use some cheering up, huh Skipper? I'll go pick some flowers for her right now."

As the Skipper watched his first mate exit the hut, a thought occurred to him. _Flowers. What a great idea for the Professor._

The Skipper set aside his knotted rope, rose from his seat, and went in search of the Professor.


	3. Chapter 3

The Professor opened his pocket knife and began whittling away at the small branch in his lap. The end was too thick for the gourd shell half he'd found, and he needed it to be just the right size.

As he tried fitting the two pieces together, the Skipper walked up beside him and joined him on the log.

"Professor, what in heaven's name are you working on?"

The Professor removed the gourd half and whittled some more. "I'm making a cane for Mary Ann. Once I get the end of this branch small enough, I'll attach this gourd shell with a piece of rope. When the swelling in her ankle goes down, Mary Ann will at least be able around to hobble around with this until she's completely healed."

xXxXx

The Skipper scratched his head in mild confusion. "Uh…Professor, just before you left my hut, you said I gave you an idea. Is…that…it?"

The Professor nodded as he once again placed the gourd shell on the branch. The Skipper watched as his friend wound a rope around the gourd in such a way that it was soon firmly in place.

"Professor," the Skipper began, "what exactly was this idea, and how does the cane fit in?"

"Since I seem to have trouble telling Mary Ann how I feel, it occurred to me that I could do something instead."

The Skipper's heart sank as he pointed at the cane. "And that's what you decided on? Professor, I commend your wanting to do something for Mary Ann. But giving a girl a practical gift is the worst thing you could do—especially when you have feelings for the girl."

xXxXx

The Professor let the Skipper's advice sink in before he responded. His intentions had certainly been well-meaning, but he supposed the Skipper was right.

"All right, so I don't give her the cane."

"I'm not saying don't give it to her at all; she'll need it to get around. But that's more of a 'to Mary Ann, your friend the Professor' gift. If you really want to impress her, give her flowers. Girls love flowers."

xXxXx

The Skipper wondered if he should mention the flowers Gilligan was picking. But before he was able to say anything, the Professor spoke up.

"That's not a bad idea, Skipper. I'll do that. Listen, I should have mentioned this earlier, but I told Mary Ann either you or Gilligan would stop by to take her to the lagoon so she can soak her ankle."

"I'll go take care of that right now. You just worry about those flowers."

_And if I'm lucky, I'll be able to stop Gilligan before he delivers his own bouquet._

Unfortunately, he arrived at the girls' hut just as Gilligan was handing over the wildflowers he'd picked. The Skipper stood just past the door where he couldn't be seen and listened to the conversation.

"Gilligan, they're beautiful; thank you. Here Ginger, can you find something to put these in?"

"You're welcome," Gilligan answered. "I brought 'em to cheer you up, but also to say 'I'm sorry' for making you get hurt this morning. It was an accident."

"Right here, Ginger; thanks. Gilligan, I know that. And if you want the honest truth, it's probably just as much my fault as it is yours. After all, I wasn't watching where I was going. But it's really sweet of you to bring me flowers."

For the life of him, the Skipper couldn't think of a way to get Gilligan's flowers out of that hut.

_Not permanently. Just long enough for the Professor to deliver his own without thinking he's got competition._

xXxXx

Mary Ann was trying hard to hide her disappointment. She appreciated Gilligan's thoughtfulness, but she couldn't help wishing that the Professor had thought of it first.

_At least he'd be making the first move and I wouldn't have to go along with whatever plan Ginger comes up with._

She waved goodbye to Gilligan and watched him leave, then picked up the notepad she'd been writing in. She turned the page and began to doodle; before she realized it, she'd drawn a picture of the Professor bringing her flowers, outlined with a heart.

xXxXx

The Skipper watched his first mate walk off in the opposite direction and was about to knock on the girls' doorframe when out of the corner of his eye he saw the Professor coming toward the hut, wearing his brown jacket and carrying flowers.

He could only hope Gilligan's flowers weren't in too obvious a place.

xXxXx

The Professor paused to straighten his jacket, then crossed the remaining distance to the girls' hut. He nodded to the Skipper before asking how he looked.

"You look fine, Professor."

"Good. Are you just getting back from taking her to the lagoon?"

"Well…I got a little sidetracked, but if you'd like me to stick around…"

The Professor shook his head. "No, I don't think that will be necessary."

_At least, I hope it won't be necessary._

The Professor knocked on the door, and upon hearing Mary Ann's call, entered.

xXxXx

Ginger watched her roommate's face light up as the Professor walked through the door. She didn't let on but she was cheering on the inside on account of the flowers he was carrying.

_Not only has he brought flowers, but he's dressed up for the occasion, and he's wearing that same lovestruck expression._

But the thought had barely crossed her mind before the Professor spied Gilligan's flowers, and his face fell.

xXxXx

His heart sunk at the sight of the flowers on Mary Ann's bedside table. He wasn't sure what to make of them, so he did what came natural. He his his feelings.

Clearing his throat, the Professor stated, "I see I'm not the first to bring get-well-soon tidings."

xXxXx

Mary Ann had seen the expression on the Professor's face change, and she was anxious to make sure he didn't leave feeling more upset than he already seemed to feel.

"Yes, Gilligan brought them a few minutes ago. And yours are just as lovely. Ginger, would you mind? And put them beside Gilligan's. I love them, Professor; thank you. You didn't have to get all dressed up for me, though."

xXxXx

The Professor glanced down at his jacket, suddenly very self-conscious of how he was dressed.

"For you? Oh no," he lied. "I was on my way to…have tea with the Howells, but I wanted to give you those first."

It wasn't going the way he'd hoped it would. He'd wanted to really impress Mary Ann by dressing up and bringing her flowers, but instead of seeing how much he cared, she was comparing his flowers to Gilligan's.

_And then you lie to her. Hinkley, you really are a coward. You come to see her, with full intentions of showing her how much you care for her, but then you chicken out and you can't tell her the truth about anything._

With that in mind, the Professor abruptly left the girls' hut for the second time that day.


	4. Chapter 4

Both Mary Ann and Ginger were surprised at the Professor's behavior.

"Is that what he did this morning?" Ginger wanted to know.

"That's exactly what happened. Oh Ginger, go get the Skipper and ask him to go after the Professor. Tell him to bring him back here."

Ginger didn't have to be told twice. She exited the hut and saw the Skipper hurrying off. She called after him.

He looked over his shoulder long enough to answer, "I'm already on top if it, Ginger. I"ll get him."

xXxXx

The Skipper had no intention of letting the Professor get away with his behavior. Nervous or not, there was no excuse for walking out like that.

_I never thought I'd see the day where I'd have to hit the Professor over the head instead of Gilligan._

He followed the Professor to the lagoon, where the younger man was alternating between skipping stones and drawing circles in the sand with his toe.

xXxXx

He was just about to toss another stone into the water when he felt a hand close around his wrist. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that the Skipper was attached to that hand.

"Leave me alone, Skipper. I don't really feel like company right now."

"I'm not here to keep you company. I'm taking you back to camp so you can keep Mary Ann company."

"I can't do that, not after the way I walked out on her today."

"You can and you will, even if I have to carry you over my shoulder. I know you've embarrassed yourself by lousing up the whole flowers routine, but you walked out on Mary Ann twice, and she's gotta be wondering why. Now I'm pulling rank, Professor. Get back to camp and tell Mary Ann the truth, and that's an order."

It wasn't often that the Professor found himself speechless, but this was one time he couldn't find a thing to say or do except to drop his handful of rocks and walk back to camp like a dog with his tail between his legs.

xXxXx

Mary Ann was doing her best not to cry, though she wasn't sure why she wanted to. Part of her felt so sorry for the Professor. For the first time, she'd seen how nervous he could be around her, and however attractive she found shyness to be, he clearly wasn't comfortable with it.

She also felt bad for having to send the Skipper after the Professor. Mary Ann had always been a do-it-yourself kind of girl, and she wanted to go after the Professor herself. If it hadn't been for her ankle…

But mostly she felt sorry for herself. She had no idea what she was going to tell the Professor when he came back. He'd be here any minute, and she didn't know what to say.

_What was it Ginger called it? A Mary Ann way of telling him? What's the best way I can do that?_

Baking him a pie was out of the question, which was a shame since she was so good at it. Mary Ann looked around t he room in search of an answer, and her eyes finally fell on her notepad. It was still open to the picture of the Professor she'd drawn.

_Maybe that's it._ "Hey Ginger, I need you to do something for me."

xXxXx

The Professor took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves, but it didn't help. He reached a slightly-jittery hand up and knocked on the doorframe.

When Ginger opened the door and handed him his bouquet of flowers, any confidence he might have had started to leave. Then he saw Ginger smile as she whispered, "Here, you get a do-over."

He raised an amused, if not somewhat befuddled, eyebrow as the redhead let him in and announced, "Mary Ann, you have company."

xXxXx

Mary Ann smiled at the Professor, hoping that the knitting project-covered flowers from Gilligan didn't look too obvious.

"Hi, Professor. Oh, you brought flowers. Are they for me?"

xXxXx

The Professor smiled as he realized that when Ginger said "do-over," she actually meant it. Gilligan's flowers were nowhere to be seen—though it looked they may have been hiding under Mary Ann's knitting project—and both girls were looking at him as if he hadn't been here just ten minutes before.

"Yes, they are for you. There's nothing medicinal about them, though; after all, they're just common wildflowers."

_Stop it, Hinkley. You didn't come back to give her another science lesson._

"I don't think they're common," Mary Ann commented. "I think they're lovely."

Before he could talk himself out of it, the Professor said, "Not as lovely as you."

xXxXx

Mary Ann was so unsure that she'd heard him right that she wasn't even aware of Ginger leaving the room. Her mind went back to what Ginger had said earlier about the Professor being in love with her. Mary Ann hadn't had any reason to doubt her roommate, but she definitely believed her now. It had been a simple compliment, but the Professor had all but admitted his feelings for her.

"Professor," she started to say, but he cut her off.

"Mary Ann, please let me finish before I completely lose my confidence. I've been wanting to tell you for quite some time now, but everytime I would try, my mind would override my emotions, and I would start reciting scientific facts instead. Perhaps subconsciously I was trying to impress you, but I found it frustrating to be talking of how to get fresh water from salt water when all I wanted was to tell you that…"

xXxXx

Here was where his voice trailed off, and his courage faltered. The Professor had been pacing back and forth across the tiny hut, but the moment he looked at Mary Ann, he started to lose his nerve.

He cleared his throat and hastened to finish. "All I wanted was to tell you that I care for you…very much, actually."

xXxXx

Mary Ann saw a hint of red creep into the Professor's face, and suddenly she was aware that she was blushing too. She was quiet for a moment as she tried to organize her thoughts. Like the Professor, she had so much to say, but had no idea where to begin. So she simply held out her notepad, picture-side down, and told the Professor to flip it over.

xXxXx

He accepted the notepad and did as the brunette asked. The image Mary Ann had drawn of him caused his blush to deepen; it was an amazing likeness. Then, as he became of aware of the heart surrounding it, he realized what she was trying to tell him.

The Professor looked at Mary Ann, and once again found himself unsure of what to say. So he offered her a shy smile.

xXxXx

Ginger and the Skipper stood outside the window and eavesdropped on the young couple. As they watched the Professor make himself comfortable across from Mary Ann on Ginger's bed, the pair of snoopers shook hands in silent congratulations on a job well done.

xXxXx

Mary Ann held close her flowers from the Professor as they made shy attempts at small talk. While she was completely unaware of the matchmakers standing outside, one thing Mary Ann did realize was that had it not been for that three-hour tour, she never would have met the Professor.

_And even though being marooned is exactly ideal, just being with him makes it paradise._


End file.
